Wheelchair – telepath
Italian scientists have developed and constructed a working prototype of an electronic wheelchair, which only the power of thought is enough to control. Thanks to a device developed in the Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics of the Milan Polytechnic Institute that reads human brain activity, it is enough to control this wheelchair just to want or imagine where to go. The stroller is equipped with two special laser sensors that recognize objects on the way, such as cars and pedestrians – these devices allow you to avoid collisions with obstacles. In the case of indoor movement, a camera aimed at the ceiling determines the correct route.
Matteo Matteucci, responsible for the development of the Brain Computer Interface project, explained that the electrodes located on a special cap connected to the chair read the electrical activity of brain neurons and, thanks to the developed device and processor, translate these impulses into commands for a wheelchair. It is equipped with a light screen on which words denoting the destination appear, for example, "kitchen", "bathroom", "living room". "When a person sees a lighted word and concentrates on it, the system recognizes the brain's response to a light stimulus," the scientist explained. Thus, a person sitting in a wheelchair should only concentrate on the place where he wants to arrive, and brain signals will tell the car where to move.
Scientists note that today there is only a prototype of a wheelchair that moves with the power of thought, but in the future, in their opinion, they will become available to everyone in need of them, and their cost will be only 10% higher than the current electric strollers. Now Milanese scientists are developing a "mechanical arm" acting on the same principle, with which they intend to equip their vehicle, ITAR-TASS reports.
News of SciencePortal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru